Seasonal offerings.

Fig with gorgonzola, speck, walnuts & honey

 

Seasonality brings with it the welcome change of produce, be it sweet or savoury. I am currently overrun with wonky courgettes, ruby tomatoes, and a failed attempt at growing beetroot once again. However, I will never moan or grumble about my excess bounty because I love to cook and even more, I adore eating, almost constantly.

I have 4 large fig trees in my back garden, and this is the first year that I can say I feel overwhelmed with the abundance of fruit the trees are producing. My dad Rocco would always say that you could always tell if a family was Italian because they would always have a few fig trees towering over their garden fences. I can now say that I can certainly be one said proud Italian. The fig trees need checking daily, as the figs ripeness and readiness can change over the space of an evening sleep. The leaves are also incredibly fragrant. You can infuse a custard or pannacotta with the leaves for an extra frugal and delicious treat too.

My grape vines are entwined with absolutely, anything and everything. I have lots of tiny bunches of grapes that taste sweet, yet they have sharpness too, and each mini grape is packed with seeds. So, the best way to use them is to wash them and boil them with a little sugar and spritz of lemon juice. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then pass the grapes through a sieve. Taste the syrup and spoon over ice-cream.

As we tip-toe into September it is the time of year to cheer and welcome the best figs that my garden has to offer. Nonna’s fig tree would have been a national treasure. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the aroma of the green plump summer figs. Nonna Carmela would pass one to me in her tiny hands, she would say in Italian ‘Have them Carmelina, one for now and one for your journey home’. She understood my love of fresh figs, picked off her huge tree that spilled into her neighbour’s garden. Nonna was always battling the thieving birds and hence would wrap each fig in an old pair of stockings with the aim and hope to protect them if only to save but a few. I am a fig purist in terms of when they are in season, they require nothing but a hungry receiver. This said I am only one woman and hence occasionally I even require a little help in eating them. This recipe is a classic with a little twist as I prefer speck instead of prosciutto.

Makes: 6 filled figs

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Oven temperature: 170C fan

 

6 plump seasonal figs

200g gorgonzola or dolcelatte

6 – 12 slices of speck

30g butter

70g walnuts, chopped

Honey to drizzle, local if possible

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 170C.
  2. Slice each fig making a cross in the top, do not cut down to the base.
  3. Crumble in and fill each fig with gorgonzola.
  4. Wrap each fig with a blanket or two of speck.
  5. Drizzle over a tiny amount of honey and bake for 25 minutes.
  6. Into a small frying pan melt the butter and add the walnuts. Fry for five minutes, add a tsp. of honey and stir.
  7. Serve the figs with their crispy speck jackets onto a slightly warmed platter. Sprinkle over the burnished walnuts and drizzle over a little more honey.

 

Carmela’s tip: Choose a seasonal or local honey. I currently have a little love and fondness for borage honey.